Enjoy these Studio 54 photos? Typical of the late 70s, the two are smoking. Even a brief sampling of these parties is enough to scramble the senses. Again, this is in a huge crowd of people on a street in Manhattan. If you wanted a place to let loose and perhaps engage in some public nudity, then Studio 54 was the club for you. ', Editors picks Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened the legendary club in 1977, and while it only lasted under their management for three years, it quickly cemented itself as the quintessential enclave for celebrities, fashionable disco-lovers, and their favorite illicit activities. A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. Judge Richard Owen shocked the court by imposing the maximum penalty: three-and-a-half years in prison and $20,000 fines. Still others would try to be sneaky. The club also had doves and a snake present for visitors on different nights. Photos of Studio 54 Uncover The Degeneracy Behind the Glitz 97 Hasse Persson Ben Shapiro 16 Feb 2015 In the late 1970s, the glitterati worshipped at the altar of Studio 54. 29 Wild Photos From The Drug-Fueled Heyday Of Studio 54. Photo by UoGsjohns22 CC BY SA 3.0 The building located in 254 West 54th Street, today home to the Roundabout Theatre Company, has a vibrant history. This type of thing wouldnt have been allowed in just any nightclub. This would not be the only time the nightclub had a horse on its premises, nor would it be the only animal ever invited inside. The stunt was well-planned and executed by experienced acrobats, so thankfully no one was hurt. For 33 short months the club was the height of cool in Manhattan, with club goers who managed to get past the velvet rope falling into a deluge of drugs and debauchery. Ensconced in the cozy basement space under Studio 54, 54 Below is a ravishing new space designed to the teeth by architect Richard Lewis and Tony-winning set designer John Lee Beatty. We want to hear it. It was completely normal to see people walking around naked. Many of the staff of Studio 54 including Rubell died as a result of it. The door code played upon the fundamental human quirk of desperately wanting what one cant have. One of Studio 54s main attractions was its complex lighting. And finally it hit Bernard. documentary. A man dangles a cigarette inside Studio 54, 1977. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. Fellini gave us costumes from his film The Clowns. From the looks of it, he seemed to enjoy his time there, too! This photograph was taken at the first Halloween party and shows two men dressed in taboo fetish gear, one man miming cutting the other. When she wasnt whipping her legs through the air to the music, she was brushing shoulders with the countrys most famous celebrities. Studio 54 was the place to be in its heyday. Nonetheless, Trump became something of a regular at the venue. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. The secluded corners furnished with mattresses quickly became a popular feature. This potentially dangerous display marked the end of the nightclubs first year open. After all, it seemed like everyone was doing it! A doctor had thoughtfully brought a giant box of Quaaludes with him. Studio 54 started as it meant to go on. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. New York Magazine interviewed former employees, including bartender Scott Taylor. A cheetah might be sitting at the bar. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. There was no need for word of mouth to grow this into a hot club; people were desperate to get in from the first night it opened. A nearly naked couple dances together on top of a speaker at the club's first Halloween party in 1977. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorge's keen eye for detail and fascination . by Gabriel H. Sanchez. The packed dance floor was the place to see and be seen, but not everything people got up to at Studio 54 was necessarily intended for an audience. Another employee, "Lenny 54," was open about the fact he wasn't going to just serve drinks. Studio 54, New York. Another thing it often had, as a result, was strange performances. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. A club-goer exposes a bare chest, garters (with keys attached to them), and a mask as a woman pops her gum and a man seduces the camera in his costume. First, we changed it from fuck off to freak off, and that was pretty hideous. Steve was coked out of his mind, remembered one in attendance, Bianca was hugging him, and he was saying, I love you people! Behind The Scenes At Studio 54 Cnn Style. Now an animal rights advocate, Bianca told the Financial Times (via the Guardian) that she didn't show up on the horse. Once, a regular customer had too many people, or some problem. Among the first to appear outside the doors of Studio 54 on opening night was Donald Trump, accompanied by his new wife, Ivana. Reynolds, who had tracked down livestock with ease, had a more difficult time finding vintage cars for hire. Left: A man dressed in nothing but a clear plastic sheet dances with a topless woman at a Studio 54 Halloween party in 1978. The Studio 54 Glory Years When CBS sold the theater, various parties from the worlds of fashion and art began to express interest in seeing it transformed into a nightclub. Here he is pictured alongside Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger at the New Years Eve party of 1977. Id go there a lot with dates and with friends, and with lots of people, he told The Washington Post in 2016. He was there to be seen with the famous people, to network, to cut the deal; whilst everyone else cut the coke., Opening night at Studio 54 was an unqualified success, but the days that followed were comparatively slower. The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. I called everybody I knew in New York to come and blow up masses of white balloons and I went to the Claremont Stables to arrange for a horse., Related He handed them out to a few dozen people around him and they waited the 15-20 minutes for them to kick in. Chips of brick flew down. Steve at that point wasnt known by anybody. Each vehicle had to be taken onto the street, where its tank was emptied, and then pushed back inside by hand. Unlike Ron Galellas work which has been exhibited and is collected as fine art after Spatz died in 2003 the archive of images was inherited by his younger sister, Amy Lowen, and packed away in filing cabinets in her Kentucky home. The horse was granted entry. We had big wine barrels we filled with corn. Though the club was ultimately destroyed by vice and greed, its short reign defined the flashy exuberance of the late Seventies, before the scourge of AIDS ended the party forever. There is a famous picture of former first lady Betty Ford (who had quit drinking and prescription drugs just a year before) hanging out with the stars while her Secret Service detail stands behind her. At times it got really hairy outside, he told Haden-Guest. Other people openly smoked illegal substances or snorted drugs such as cocaine. And on its last night under initial management, Diana Ross serenaded Rubell and Schrader -- of course surrounded by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Farrah Fawcett, and Sylvester Stallone, among others. Despite spending only $400,000 on preparations for the nightclub, owner Rubell indicated Studio 54 made over $7 million in profits in the first year. Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. Here, a woman twirls her hat and two men chat over drinks. When sex and money didn't work, people would get violent. A man dressed up in leather and an NYU tank chats with his friend, decked out in pearls and garters as two other club-goers look on. A woman holds a makeshift pipe for a man as he attempts to smoke an unidentified substance in 1981. Suddenly the IRS were interested in going clubbing. documentary. A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz (year unknown). Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. For major actresses like these, visiting Studio 54 was a must while in New York City. Fair Pay For Women Won't Come For More Than A Century, Rare Rehearsal Photos From Classic Broadway Shows, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Some tried to grease palms with thousands of dollars. DJ Richie Kaczor dropped the needle on the first record of the night, Devils Gun by C.J. Indeed, club regulars ranged from Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol to Elizabeth Taylor and David Bowie. After Lowen uploaded digital versions of the photographs to a secure vault, POBA staff helped crop and curate the material, highlighting the value of his artistic eye. For those of us who prefer photojournalism to actual opulent dance clubs, the morning-after exhaustion on patrons faces may be the most relatable theme of the series. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who gained entrance and who didn't. A man wears a gold costume, eyeliner, and a headdress while dancing. If he liked you enough, he'd give you a little something. Frank Sinatra was stranded in his limousine, unable to get near. One of the many famous faces to grace the dance floor of Studio 54 was that of legendary singer Diana Ross. Right: A costumed partygoer hits the dance floor in 1981. Diana Ross serenaded the owners from the DJ booth, and Liza Minnelli sang New York, New York. Rubell, donning a Sinatra-like fedora, piped in with a spirited rendition of My Way, which played on repeat during the night, as did Gloria Gaynors Studio 54 anthem I Will Survive. From a mechanical platform high above the dance floor, Rubell addressed his guests with an emotional speech. Being a spouse to legendary partier Jagger, its no wonder she enjoyed a good get-together herself. The women were not. Up high in the seats above the stalls, you could disappear into the shadows and get up to whatever, writes Jones. Nobody knew him in those days. Their knocks went unanswered. At Studio 54, the taboo wasnt seen as undesirable instead, it was invited inside. According to the Daily Beast, he and his friends had no problem getting in because they showed up unfashionably early and were basically first in line. ' Even so, would-be patrons often took rejection badly. Needless to say, he made enough of a name for himself and enough connections to land a spot on the list at Studio 54 often. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorges keen eye for detail and fascination with his subjects is consistently engaginghe just makes everyone look gorgeous. IRS agents raided Studio 54 on December 14th, 1978, seizing garage bags of cash, financial documents and five ounces of cocaine. Other photographers didnt capture that. For most of his life, though, co-founder Ian Schrager has wanted to forget it. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. When New York published this list of party favors in November 1979, Warhol was horrified to discover that his pail had only contained $800. We stood there as long as we could take it, until our feet were just finally way too cold. To this day the nightclub remains a thing of legend, even if it has been transformed into a theater. Known for its raucous parties and A-list guests, the first three years of Studio 54's existence were the most exclusive and enticing and that was by design. In this picture, you can see doorman Mark Benecke sweeping the expectant crowd for the best individuals to allow past the front doors. Not having alcohol wasn't a problem, of course, because this was the 1970s. Left: A clubgoer dressed as Jesus carries a large cross onto the dance floor in 1977. New York Post columnist Jack Martin found Rubell in the early morning hours. The doormen regularly had to be escorted home at the end of the night for their safety. ' Haskell remembered in Anthony Haden-Guests bookThe Last Party. Getting high low-down, Grace Jones wrote in her 2016 memoir. They agreed to bring these cars up. Six big-finned classics were parked on the dance floor, but minutes before opening the fire marshal cited a major hazard: The cars hadnt been drained of gasoline. It wasn't that unusual for people to rappel down the neighboring building using full climbing gear, trying to get into the courtyard over a 10-foot wall with barbed wire on top. The following February, just before they were due to serve their time, Rubell and Schrager threw one last bash, billed as The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah. This final blowout was intimate compared to most nights, with just 2,000 of Studio 54s most faithful, including Richard Gere, Halston, Reggie Jackson, Andy Warhol, Lorna Luft and Sylvester Stallone. According to him he actually took the trash out and swept up while his co-workers partied. Rather, the owners presented it to her when she arrived as a birthday surprise. Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. (Quaaludes, a prescription sedative with hypnotic effects, were huge in the '70s and classily known as "panty droppers.") Halston.It was 10:30 in the morning and the phone rang, club associate Renny Reynolds told Haden-Guest. McCarthy, who happened to frequent Studio 54 on occasion, was amazed by his access to the notables in attendance. Dressed in their best and taking stock of the nightclub, famous actresses Farrah Fawcett and Shirley MacLaine are photographed with club owner Steve Rubell. Sometimes thousands of dollars changed hands. TheIndependent says others took a different tack, offering their bodies instead. Celebrities headed for the basement. You were also welcomed with open arms if you were a drag queen. To dodge strict rules about serving alcohol, the club didn't actually have a permanent liquor license for a long time. Those lucky enough to be in attendance are spotted in the background, watching with drinks in hand. In the four decades since Studio 54 first opened its doors, tales of what went on behind the velvet rope have become modern myths. The owners were always trying to top themselves, and it led to some ridiculous events. Studio 54 was a safe space for groups who would have been marginalised in the late 70s. We were entertaining the hell out of ourselves. Nobody wanted to rent a car to Studio 54. Originally opened as an opera house in 1927, Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in 1977. And I kind of let that slide because he didnt shoot. Another morning, someone did pull the trigger. At Studio 54, anyone with a good attitude (and good style) was welcome. It was "madness.". So we got to Studio 54 and there was nobody there. Perhaps understandably, Rodgers now considers Benecke a friend. Somebody yelled out, Hey! Studio 54 had an epic few years, but that was it. Given that it used to be an actual studio, the interior had ample lighting equipment to create pulsating light shows. This photo shows a man dressed in drag with fake (and appropriately sequined) breasts on his chest. Cher wasnt the wildest partier on the scene, but she was known for being an independent and forward-thinking individual who didnt shy away from a good time. The criteria for entry werent clear-cut you simply had to have the look and style they wanted to see inside the establishment. Mattresses in the basement were frequently the site of trysts, while the infamous balcony was designed complete with easy-to-clean surfaces as a place for couples to get it on. The black-and-white photographs included scenes from iconic clubs like Studio 54 and Xenon; shots of Carrie Fisher, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Redford; as well quirky New York City street life tableaus in the 1970s and Eighties. There was a 1950 Chevy convertible that got a bit trashed because people climbed in and burned the seats, says Reynolds. Studio 54 was a safe space for groups who would have been marginalised in the late 70s. Studio 54: heady daze of disco decadence in pictures, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Those who were turned away often returned night after night, changing their outfits, hairstyles and company. In 1978, Studio 54 was lucky enough to host her 46th birthday party. (This was before the AIDS crisis hit, so people were much freer with their bodies.) 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